Botanica

Walked up stairs last night and the memories of Sudely Castle that had eluded me at the computer came flooding back.
After Hidcote I was not expecting much from any other garden. However, Sudely was a real castle on huge grounds. Much of it was in a ruinous state but rather than being an eye sore it looked enchanting with climbing plants growing over the decorative stone wall and huge herbaceous borders making the overall effect quiet romantic. They also had an exhibition of contemporary sculpture in the grounds. To me some of them were too pristine white for the setting but others looked beautiful. The one that stood out was a pouring jug with a metal structure made up of coal like pieces making a stand for the jug though it appeared like liquid coming from the jug and flowing over the landscape. A photographer made an excellent book of all these sculptures at Sudely. I was amazed at how much better they looked through the camera's lens. This garden was not particularly well maintained but the bones of the garden were most impressive. They also had aviaries of exotic birds. We returned for our last night in Oxford and enjoyed a very pleasant meal with good company. The food at Oxford was outstanding though our room was small.
The next morning we travelled to Warwick Castle, an amazingly well preserved structure which was built by orders of William the Conquerer and evolved over the centuries. They had a very clever reenactment in the castle where they combined wax models and real actors to create the illusion that you were part of a Royal Weekend party in the 18th Century. The gardens were not particularly a feature of the castle though there was a presentable rose garden. Later we lunched at Stratford Upon Avon before a longish drive through the Cotswolds to Bath. We made a short stop in a delightful Cotswold village that I now don't remember but it had many lovely shops and the best ever creamy strawberry ice-cream. In Bath we stayed at the Hilton in a 70s building that lacked character, however, it was situated in the centre of town in an excellent position. The restaurant was also lovely having a beautiful view along the river. The food was outstanding too. After tea on the first night Roger and I had a long walk looking for an Internet Cafe. At that stage I had not discovered the value of libraries which was a pity because the Bath library was very close to our hotel. Our long walk was not fruitful though we found places with computer facilities available during the day. The walk however, was very pleasant, particularly along the river. The long twilight makes for lovely evenings and you feel safe walking around late at night.
The next day we visited Hestercombe in the morning. It was a lovely drive. We firstly went on a ramble around the wild landscape. We then saw the collaboration of Sir Edwin Lutyens an architect and Gertrude Jekkle, a plants woman. There had been much building and changes of levels to make beautifully balanced gardens that combined water, structures and plants. The house itself was unimpressive and appeared to have developed in an ad hoc way. The facade was better as it was largely covered in creeper. The joy was in the formal garden although not at its best in a season with limited rain. The garden is created on many levels and complements the beauty of the fields beyond. The estate was huge and landscapes had been created to appear naturalistic, reflecting the Classical landscape paintings of Claude Lorrain. We returned to Bath and drove past the impressive Regency Circus and Crescent. I used my free afternoon to blog. This turned into an expensive time thanks to my very slow typing. This was our free night for dinner however, we all decided to eat together at restaurant in Bath that was owned by a celebrity chef who specialises in using locally grown organic produce. The food was excellent and it was a most pleasant evening. Must do a search of the numerous brochures to find the name of the restaurant.

Hope all is well at home
love to all Jo and Rog